Matty Graham

Dunedin Winter Multisport Series RACE 1

2011-05-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the first race of the Dunedin Winter Multisport Series. The race was based at Whare Flat and consisted of a 3km off road run - 10km MTB and final 3km run. Check out this You tube video of the race

After a fast start on some very muddy tracks I took the lead. With my new Salomon Speed Cross 2 making short work of slippery conditions. On to the MTB I was racing next to Norman Dunroy over the opening stages. The MTB consisted of a lot of slippery roots, mud holes and obstacles which was a great test for my Giant XTC-1 29er. In these tight conditions the 29er excelled and by the end of the ride I was out of sight of 2nd place. Into the final run I managed to hold a good pace only running 1 minute slower than the first 3km run and by the end I had built up a 5 minute buffer over 2nd place Norman Dunroy.

It was great to get out and stretch the legs after a lack of racing recently.

Giant XTC-1 29er

2011-05-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

I have had my new Giant XTC-1 29er for 2 weeks now and am loving it. At first I was skeptical of the 29er but now after putting it through its paces I am sold. I think that for multisport and marathon MTBing where the majority of riding is done on open trails and gravel roads the 29er is in its element. Even in tight single track where I had been told the 29er is disadvantaged compared to a 26, I feel that the 29er holds it own here as well. With my first race on the 29er being this weekend I look forward to giving it the real test.

Update

2011-02-17T14:24:00.000-08:00

Well what a busy few months it has been.

I finally handed in my masters thesis which was the culmination of 2 years work investigating repeated high intensity training compared to endurance training and the changes in blood volume that they stimulate. Now that this is away getting marked I am working on getting it published in a research journal as well as seeking funding to go to Liverpool to present my findings at the European Collage of Sport Science conference in July http://www.e css-congress.eu/2011/.

On the racing front I have just finished the Coast to Coast as part of a team with Grant Sime. We had a great weekend away and finished 7^th in the men’s teams. I managed to paddle the 6^th fastest time down the river which I was pleased with given I put a large hole in the side of my Sission Evolution Omega and had to stop a couple of time to empty the water out.

There is now 9 weeks until the national marathon kayak champs in Wellington. All going well I plan to be on the start line there to give the 28km loop course + portages a good nudge. The transition from multisport to K1 paddling has been an exciting one so far and the nationals will be a good indicator of where I am at. At the end of May there will also be a chance to try my hand in a few sprint competitions which I am really looking forward to.

So now as I wait to receive the results of my thesis I am busy coaching a number of athletes through Exponential Performance Coaching, working at university teaching undergrad labs as well as doing work for Bikenz with the national track squad.

First training session of summer

2010-10-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Some days down in Dunedin it is starting to feel like summer. This is a short video I made of a training session I did in the Dunedin sun a few weekends ago.
30km bike out to Taieri mouth and then a bit of a run along the Millennium track. All in all a good day out.

Braemar Gut Buster 12 Hr Adventure Race

2010-10-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

While the rest of NZ was hunkered down to protect themselves from the storm the size of Australia that was on its way we were on our way towards Mt Cook for the Braemar Gut Buster.
I was teaming up with my supervisor Dr Jim Cotter and as well as racing we were there to over see a group of students taking on the challenge as part of the Multisport practical paper offered at the PE School.
With the 1st kayak being canceled and only three teams getting out on the trekking course before it closed it turned into a big mountain bike through A LOT of snow. With all of the changes out on the course through out the day no body knew where they were placed in the field. We finished the day up in second place.
For the official race report check out the link below
http://www.sportzhub.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10741

Bendigo Rogaine

2010-06-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

With Dunedin under water from all the recent rain it seemed like a crazy plan to head into the hills for a Rogaine. However as we travelled in land the weather cleared.

Now for those who do not know what rogaining is, it is a bit like orienteering but do it in a team (the team has to stay together), your team plans the route it will take and it’s done over a longer time period. There are a whole bunch of controls set up out in the middle of nowhere, each worth a different amount of points depending on the controls difficulty (e.g. a control on top of a mountain will be worth more than an easy to find control on the side of a road). There is a set time period, and during that time the goal is to get as many points as possible.

Out in the snow

This weekend we had entered a team from the PE school in the 6 hour race. The team consisted of my supervisor Jim Cotter, another lecturer Geoff Ockwell, student Hayden McCoy and myself. As Geoff and Hayden had never done on of these races before the goal for the race was to get out and have a look around at some of the high country around that area and if possible get up into some snow.

The team me, Jim, Hayden and Geoff

After a solid 6 hours out getting controls we were still not back at the finish which meant we would be penalised 10 points for every minute we were late. A big effort by the team running as hard as tired legs would let us. We made it back 20minutes late, which we thought would put us out of any placing. But to our surprise at the prize giving we had managed to take 1st place. All in all a great day out, we got to look around some great country, we found some snow and we managed to take first place.

The trusted gear

There was not much time to reflex on the day’s activities as it was straight back into the car to get home for the 3rd round of the Dunedin Winter Multisport Series the next morning.

Silver Stream weekend adventures

2010-05-26T15:31:00.001-07:00

With a beautiful Dunedin day on the cards I just had to get out in the hills to stretch the legs. With the Bendigo rogaine coming up next weekend a bit of an off road adventure was needed. A bit of a stomp around in the Silver Stream area with our two dogs was just the ticket to get things broken in for the race next weekend.

Dunedin Winter Multisport Series Round 2: Whare Flat duathlon

2010-05-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

This duathlon course is without a doubt one of the coolest courses I have ever done. The first 3km off road run has some steep climbs, flat water race tracks to stride it out on and some technical down hills to keep your mind on the job. Once off the run it’s on to the MTB for some solid climbing on forestry roads before descending on to the water race track. A few creek crossings and sections of technical riding makes this ride unlike any other multisport bike stage. Course map

Course profile

The final run is a repeat of the first run which does not seem to get any easier.
A strong field turned out for some fast racing. Coming into T1 a lead group of four kept the pace hot. Once on the bikes ex-Olympian Kashi Leuchs showed this class pulling away to take the lead.
Jim Cotter chased Kashi hard with Gavin Mason and me not far behind. Losing contact with the lead group on the first major climbs I worked hard through the single track and eventually caught and passed Gav. We raced back and forth for the remainder of the race with Gav just pulling away on the final run to take the 3rd position with Jim 2nd and Kashi 1st.
Same course but 1 year earlier - just as great this year

Whare Flat/ Sliver Stream training session

2010-05-11T00:30:00.000-07:00

Another fantastic Dunedin day allowed for a solid afternoon on the MTB checking out the course for the second round of the Dunedin Winter Multisport series with some of the athletes that I coach through Exponential Performance Coaching.
A solid 3hour 30min session saw 1700m of climbing on the bike and a short up tempo off road run in the Whare Flat/ Sliver Stream area. The course for next week’s race includes a fantastic single track MTB which I am really looking forward to doing again.

Heading home at dusk the view over the Taieri planesand Silver Peaks was just amazing, I tried to capture it with a photo but it does not do it justice.

Dunedin Winter Multisport Series - Round 1

2010-05-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

After a busy few months at university being full immersed in my masters research doing minimal training the first race of the Dunedin Winter Multisport Series was a bit of a shock to the system. A beautiful day made for great racing conditions.

The first 5km kayak start with a hot pace driven by a number of K1 paddlers keen to push the pace. Having done every limited paddle training this year meant that I was red lining the whole way. Thanks to my new Sission Evolution Omega I was able to limit my losses to the top paddlers to 2 minutes.

On to the MTB stage I worked my way through the field from 7th out of the water to 5th going into the run. Once into the brutal off road run my Salomon Speed Crosses came into their own on the steep greasy slopes. Over the 5km run to the finish I managed to reel in 4th and 3rd place to finish in 3rd place.

R&R Sport Otago Peninsula Challenge

2010-02-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

With a bit of drizzle, a light wind and a little sun from time to time the conditions for the R&R Sport Otago Peninsula Challenge were great. The breath taking scenery on this course is defiantly a highlight and there were a few times when I got up close and personal with the scenery during a few crashes on the fast greasy grass down hills.

Taking in just about every steep hill possible the course is a tough one. A gun field assembled on the start line and the pace was hot from the start.

My drink bottle with all my Leppin Enduro booster bounced out of my bottle cage on one of the first down hills with out me realising. This left me with one bottle of water and only two leppin squeezes for the 2hr15min race. This was well below my usual nutritional intake and resulted on the fuel light blinking as I grovelled to the finish. I crossed the finish in 6th place and not to far off the pace of some of Dunedin's best riders.

All in all it was a great day out.

NZ MTB cup series- Dunedin race

2010-01-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

This was to be my first experience of cross-country MTB lap racing. I had chosen to do this event as a stepping stone towards the Oceania’s MTB champs that are to be held on the same course in March. I was keen to gain as much experience as possible and have a good hard hit out. It has been a big learning curve entering the world of mountain biking and this race was no exception. It had rained a lot in the week leading into the race and all of the practice rides I had done around the track that week had ended up with me on my arse or in the bushes struggling to ride the wet slippery conditions. The boys at R&R Sport bike work shop set me up with some good mud tires for the conditions and a bit of advice that would turn out to be a massive help come race day. Luckily the track had dried out a bit come race day which made things a bit easier. I was racing in the senior age group category and our race consisted of 4 laps which took in the best bits of Bethuns Gully and Forester Park. A fast start saw everyone tearing off the start line. I worked hard to hold onto the front rider during the first 10minutes. As we entered the technical single track for the first time I could tell I was riding better than he was. At some stage he popped his cleat due to messing up a technical corner and I got past him into the lead. For the remainder 2/3rds of the lap I didn’t look back and rode hard through the technical descents.
It was great to hear that I was 45 seconds up on second place by the end of the first lap and I used this to fuel my effort. For the next 3 laps I set to work riding as hard as I could, focusing on good lines, pushing the up hills and keeping my energy levels topped with Leppin Squeezes every 20min. I rolled across the finish in 1st place in a time of 1hour52min, I had won the senior grade by 5 min which I was stoked about.

Watching the elite level racing in the afternoon was great motivation and a good indicator of the top level to strive for. So now after recovering well from the race it is back into some high volume training to future develop my aerobic capacity so I can put in some good quality high intensity training in preparation for the Oceania’s in 8 weeks.

Ill keep you posted

2008 cycling video

2009-11-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

I came across this old video of me cycling in the lead up to the 2008 Coast to Coast Longest day. This was coming to the end of a 2hour tempo ride home following the 33km Crouses Crossing mnt run on the West Coast. My old aero bars and Giant OCR3 road bike bring back some great memories.

Kaitangata MTB race

2009-11-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I headed down to Kaitangata for a 45km MTB race. I had heard that this was a great race and was keen to check it out. So I loaded my bike on our new car and headed south. The new Nissan Pulsar load up ready to go

There was a very strong field for such a small local event so I was keen to see how I would stack up against everyone. After a fast start I settled into a good pace. Through out the 45km there was a great mix of purpose built single track, gravel roads, up hills and down hills. It was one of the most enjoyable course I have ever done.

Working hard on one of the climbs

I was sitting around 4-5th place most of the race and feeling good. I tended to lose time on the technical sections and then make it back up on the gravel climbs. I finished the 45km in 2hour15min34sec in 4th place only a minute off 3rd, which I was stoked about.

All in all a great race and a must do for next year. Next race on the cards is the Bannockburn gutbuster, 80km through the Nevis Valley which I am really looking forward to. Ill keep you posted.

Timaru 12hour MTB race

2009-11-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

Looking for a new challenge I headed up to Timaru on the 31st of October for the ALPINE ENERGY 12 Hour Day/Night Mountain Bike Race (http://www.timaru12hourmtb.co.nz/).

Heading off from Dunedin at 6.30am I was already tried which wasn’t a good sign. Lily and I arrived at the race HQ at Centennial Park and set up camp with next to the Dunedin R&R Sport crew. Having never done a 12 hour race before I fluffed around getting my gear sorted so that I could have easy pit stops to refuel etc throughout the race.
An hour before the start we were allowed to ride the course to get a feel for it. So I set off to find out what I was in for.

All set to go

The course started with some fast walking tracks around the edge of a lake before gradually climbing. Part way up the first climb there were two tight little rock sections were you had to have a bit of momentum and hit the right line, they weren't to hard but they kept you on your toes. A final steep pinch followed before a straight line grassy descent on to an old rail trail. A straight run up the rail trail then it was across a small creek and on to some very nice flowing single track. Another steep climb took us up to another section of single track that was a bit rougher than the previous section but a lot of fun. Following this the course went through a rough bumpy paddock that shock me to pieces by the end of the race. Luckily it was not much longer than 500m as it was very taxing on the body. The final section of the course included a final steep climb then in to a rooty descent through some pine trees to the finish. All in all 8.8km per lap, how hard can it be...........
When the hooter went at mid day everyone raced off at a great rate of knots. I found myself riding with Milan Brodina who is an athlete that I coach and was also doing the 12 hour solo. For the first 5hours or so we rode together changing the lead back and forth. Around the 5 hour mark Milan was riding very strongly and started to pull away from me. I set to work keeping my pace steady as I felt myself slowly starting to go into a low spot. With a quick stop in the pits to clean my chain and stretch my lower back that was getting quite sore I came out of my low spot and my lap time started to pick up. I focused on riding smoothly, keeping the fuel going in. I started to make up time on Milan who had put a bit of a gap on me and was ahead in second place.

Coming through the pits early on in the day

Riding hard out on one of the single track sections

Out in the darkness

At 8.30pm I had a quick stop to put my lights on. Needless to say I was feeling a bit weary after 8 ½ hours or riding under the belt. Heading off into the darkness the laps ticked by a I could feel myself getting slower and slower. My body was pretty hammered by this stage, especially my hands, wrists, arms and shoulders from the rough rocky sections. I would have done anything to transition in the kayak or head out for a run, just something that wasn't biking. At the ten hour mark I was forced to take a prolonged pit stop at a port-a-loo suffering from server stomach pains which was the lowest part of my race. After hanging out in the port-a-loo for 15min I felt great and headed off of the remainder of the race to ride some of my best laps and feel great all the way to the finish.

Coming into the finish
I reached the end of my 25th lap at 11.48pm in 3rd place and that was the end of that. 220km on the bike, 10 Leppin Squeezes, 6 bottles of Leppin Enduro Booster, 6 bottles of water, 3 bananas, 2 croissants, 2 ham and avocado buns, 6 mini rice balls, 4 mince savories, a couple of handfuls of lollies and some chips. I had unbelievably sore hands, wrists, shoulders, back, feet and not to mention my legs were a little tired. I slowly hobbled off my trusty steed, crawled into my sleeping bag and pasted out.
I had come to Timaru looking for a challenge and that is exactly what I got. Over the past 12hours I had been mentally and physically pushed and I loved every minute of it. So much so I am going to focus on getting to Rotarua at the beginning of 2010 for the 24hour N-Duro and/or the 24hour Moonride.

A few more M2M photos

2009-09-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos of the M2M taken by my good mate and support crew Becks.

Battle away on the run. Not feeling good at all here.

Slick transition on to the road bike

Pushing hard early on in the final climb

In a world of pain getting towards the end of the Snowpark climb

Good to be done (my wife Lily and I at the finish)

The A team. (Aves, Ross, myself, Lily and Becks)

M2M

2009-09-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

After a hard day at the P2P I had put in a solid winter of training in-between studying which included a training camp in Wanaka with 8 of my Exponential Performance athletes. I was feeling better than ever a few weeks out from the race as was really looking forward to sinking my teeth into the race and improving on last year’s 3rd place. A week and a half out from race day I was hit hard with the flu which saw unable to function for a few days. I got over the worst of it by race day but still had a really chesty cough that I just could not shake.

Lining up on the start line I was still coughing up my lungs but when the hooter went that all went off the window. I had the ski of my life and handled the white out conditions halfway through with minimal time lost to the front runners which I was stoked about.

Arriving at the kayak I was feeling pretty good and hopped into my Evo Edge and got it wound up. The river flow was high compared to other years which took out all the route choice options and made for a fast paddle. A smooth transition thanks to a great crew saw me into my Salomon Speed-crosses and out onto the run in no time.

Out on the run I was battling to stick with people I would usually leave of dust. On the first few steep climbs I was coughing uncontrollably and just could not breathe. I finally reached the road bike transition and have never been so glade to stop running and start biking. On to the road bike I dialled in a solid cursing speed and set to work by myself up the Cardrona valley. Starting to get back in the groove of things I reeled in a few individuals and moved into 5th place.
Off the road bike and on to the MTB I worked as hard as I could and was closing in on 4th place. At the half way mark I was on track for a PB hill climb. However from this point I started to fall to pieces. I hit a big wall and just did not have the legs to push any harder.
I reached the finish 2minutes faster than last year in 5th place, 1minute 30seconds behind 4th and 14 minutes behind 2nd. Absolutely shattered I was pleased with my effort given the situation and but gutted I did not get to put my fitness to the test with good health.

Thanks to studio 5 for the awesome on course photos

Brass Monkey Triathlon

2009-09-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

When the opportunity came up to share a ride back to the West Coast to compete in the Brass Monkey Triathlon I could not say no. A chance to race on home soil and catch up with my dad, things don’t get much better.
This is my favourite race in the world. I first competed in the race 8 years ago and this was my first every multisport race. The course consists of a 6km run, 5km kayak and 16km road bike. It is a community run event and always has a good turnout.
With some of the locals keen to push the pace the run was hard and fast. I found myself out the front and just before the finish 2 other of the top individuals joined me at the front.
A fast transition into the kayak saw an instant 30sec gap open up between myself and the chasers. Paddling a borrowed Evo edge I set to work on the paddle. I had to slow down a few times to make sure I looked around as the views on the mirror lake were stunning to say the least. Out of the boat and I had managed to paddle the fastest kayak stage out of the whole race (teams included).

Final few strokes of the paddle stage

The eternal struggle out of the kayak

On to the bike and it was off on the final stage. I set to work riding but my legs were feeling a little heavy with the cold. I set a good time on the bike considering I was by myself the whole time (4th fastest overall) and ran down the chute to finish 1st.

On the road to the finish

Good to be done